Carrier.



H. MQGABB. y mmm APPLIOTION FILED BEPTJI, 1910.

990,060. Patentd Apr. 18,` 1911.4.

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Witnesses I Z/'zlnventor M AUI y Y l f I t I Attorneys.

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l APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. "l, 191,0. v 990,060, y,11.1111111111 Apr. 18,1911.

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Witnesses 0 f Attorneys;

HENRY MCCABE, OF ARCOLA, ILLINQIS.

CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911.

Application filed September 7, 1910. Serial N o. 580,868.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY MCCABE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Arcola, in the county of Douglas and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Carrier, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention belongs to the art of delivery devices, and it moreespecially relates to a new and useful mail delivery apparatus, adaptedfor the transportation of mail matter, parcels and the like, throughrural districts, and is so constructed as to receive a mail bag, anddeliver one at the successive stations along the route.

The principal object of the invention is to embody the same in thenature of an overhead trolley system, so as to prevent inter ferencetherewith by passing vehicles and the like, and to further provide adevice of this nature embodying various novel features.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a carrier chainremovably carried within the delivery car, which may be so manipulatedas to receive a mail bag and deliver one at the successive stations. Thebags arranged between the points where they are received and deliveredby the chain,

are held from dislocation by suitable members carried by the chain.

`A further object of the invention is the production of novel means forfeeding this chain intermittently, as the car arrives at each respectivestation, in order to permit a mail bag to be received and one delivered.

In the drawings, however, there is only illustrated one particular formof the invention, but in practical fields, this form may necessitateslight alterations, and provided the alterations are comprehended by theappended claims, the applicant is entitled to them.

Other features and combinations of parts, will be hereinafter defined,shown in the drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mail delivery carsuspended from a trolley Wire, and embodying the various features of theinvention, and further showing the sample in the act of approaching astation; suspended from a post thereof is a mail bag ready to bereceived by the car. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through thecar, clearly illustrating the mechanism for feeding the carrier chain.Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3--3 of Fig. 2, clearly showing howthe mechanism for feeding the chain is depressed. Fig. 4 is an enlargeddetail sectional view of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 3.Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of the removable carrier chain andits trough.

Referring to the drawings, 1 denotes a car, having a forward open end 2,through which the mail bags enter as the car passes a station. Thebottom of the car, near the end 3 thereof, is provided with an openingL1, through which a mail bag is delivered at the station, at the sametime one passes through the opening in the forward portion of the car.

Upon the interior of the car, and depending from the roof thereof, arethe longitudinal guide flanges 6, the lower portions of which are spacedapart, thereby forming slots 7.

A double trough member 8 is provided, in the upper and lower troughs 9and 10 of which, the carrier chain 11 is adapted to be intermittentlymoved.

The upper trough 9 is composed of the angular elongated guide members 12and 13, which are spaced apart in order to form a slot 14 between them.The lower trough is similar in construction to the upper one.

The rear ends of the upper and lower troughs are connected together bythe metal 'strips 15, in order to provide rigidity for the structure,and furthermore, to hold the upper and lower troughs properly spacedapart. The forward ends of the upper and lower troughs are connectedtogether, and held rigidly in their places, by means of the plates 16,which in side view taper from their bottom edges upwardly and forwardlyto their upper edges. These two plates are joined together at theirapexes, as clearly shown in the detail view of the carrier chain and itstroughs. At the ends of the troughs there are arranged sprocket wheels17, about which the carrier chain travels. This car'- rier chain haslaterally extending studs on Ieach side, and journaled upon these studsare the anti-frictional rollers 19, which engage the flanges of theupper and lower troughs, as motion is imparted to the chain. Extendingupwardly and downwardly from the carrier chain are a plurality ofstandards 20. Projecting from the sides of these standards are the lugs21. Journaled upon the lugs 21 are anti-frictional rollers 22, whichengage the fianges of the troughs arranged adjacent to the roof of thecar, the thickness of the said standards being slightly less than thewidth of the spaces between the ianges of the various troughs, in orderthatsuch standards may easily pass through the spaces.

In Fig. 2 the carrier chain and its attendant parts are suspended fromthe trough in the upper portion of the car, showing the manner in whichthe mail bags are received and delivered.

To intermittently feed the chain, as the car passes each station, a feedmechanism 24 is provided. This feed mechanism consists of a gravitatingfeed hook 25, adapted to engage one or the other of the said standards,in order to properly feed the carrier chain. This feed hook 25 ispivotally mounted upon an oscillating frame 26, which is pivoted at 27,to the roof of the car.

28 represents a spring, which is connected between the frame 26 and aportion of the roof of the car, as at 29. By the use of this spring, theframe 26 is restored to its normal position, after the same isoscillated in the manner presently set forth. This hook member 25 passesthrough a slot 30 in the roof of the car, and the hooked end thereofarranges itself by gravitation in close position with regard to thestandards of the chain. To the top of the roof of the car, at a pointremote from the frame 26, is a guide rod 31, upon which the end 32 ofthe bar 33 is guided. This bar is pivotally connected to the frame 26,and it will be seen that as the car is in the act of passing a station,a projection 34 of the post 35 engages this bar 33, thus causing theframe 26 to be oscillated, and in so doing the pivoted hook barcooperates with the carrier chain to feed it.

36 represents a trolley wire, which is connected t0 the usual form ofhanger 37 of the post 35.

38 represents grooved wheels which are adapted to engage and run uponthe wire 36. These grooved wheels 38 are journaled in bearings of thebrackets 39 (which are suitably carried by the roof of the mail car).The mail bags 40 are suspended from a projection 41, of the laterallyprojecting part 42 0f the post 35. The loop 43 of the bag is so arrangedas to readily receive the tapering plates of the forward portion of thetrough, as the mail car passes a station.

Then the mail car passes a station, the tapering plates of the troughpass through the loop 43 of the mail bag, and as the gravitating hookbar is operated, the bag received by the trough is fed within the car,and held in place by the carrier chain. As these operations are beingperformed, a mail bag is delivered from the trough of the carrier chain,in the manner shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. This bag, however, passesthrough the opening in the Hoor of the car, and is delivered at thestation.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and usefulis:

1. An automatic mail delivery apparatus comprising a track-supportedcar, which is open at its forward end, and provided with a hole in itsbottom at the other end, a trough having a carrier chain, a troughsuspended from the roof of the car, and means carried by the chain to bereceived by the trough of the roof of the car, and feeding mechanism forfeeding the carrier chain, in combination with a trip device foroperating the feeding mechanism.

2. A mail delivery apparatus comprising a track-supported car having aforward opening and provided with an opening in its bottom at the rearend, a movable carrier chain suspended from the roof of the car, a feedmechanism for the chain, and a trip device for operating the feedmechanism.

3. An automatic mail delivery apparatus comprising a track-supported carwith openings at each end, a carrier chain suspended from the roof ofthe car, and feed mechanism for the chain, consisting of a springretained oscillatory frame having a pivoted gravitating feed hook forfeeding the chain, a bar pivoted to the frame, and a trip device toengage the bar to cause the frame 26 to be oscillated, whereby a mailbag may be received through the forward end of the car and one deliveredat its rear.

4. An automatic mail delivery apparatus comprising a track-supported carwith openings at each end, a carrier chain suspended from the roof ofthe car, and feed mechanism for the chain, consisting of a springretained oscillatory frame having a pivoted gravitating feed hook forfeeding the chain, a bar pivoted to the frame, and a trip device toengage the bar to cause the frame 26 .to be oscillated, whereby a mailbag may be received through the forward end of the car and one deliveredat its rear, and means secured to the roof of the car for guiding thesaid bar when the frame is oscillated.

5. `A mail delivery apparatus comprising a track-supported car havingopenings at In testimony that I claim the foregoing as each end, aremovable carrier chain susmy own7 I have hereto aflixed my Slgnature 10pended from the roof of the car upon its in the presence of twoWitnesses.

interior, and feedn mechanism havin@r an T oscillatory gravitatgilgrearwardly mofin HENRX MCCABE feed hook to engage the carrier chain t0fee Witnesses:

it and a trip device for actuating the feed J. S. QUIRK,

mechanism. HARRY E. SCHWARZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

